This is an attempt at making a good faq for the game of petanque. All questions that are directly related to the game and it's basic rules should be included here.
The questions and answers are meant for beginners - so please keep it easy to understand for non-players.

Death by Petanque

We are having a petanque competition at work (London) and want to know if anyone has ever been killed while playing the game. i.e. by receiving a fatal blow to the head by a petanque ball, or boule.

i havent heard of any deaths in the UK from boules, unless it was due to alcohol or food poisoning at the same event.
the worst is either being hit by a flying coche or a boule hitting an ankle - all of which can be avoided if the people are paying attention to the game they are in and the games beside them.

Death by Petanque

Posted by: Stephen Ferg) at 2013-11-24 18:12:36Posting has been displayed 1988 times

It has happened, to my knowledge, only once. See
http://petanque.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/a-dangerous-game/

It happened in the town of Adé, near Lourdes (Hautes-Pyrenees) in the southwest of France, on the evening of Friday, August 8, 2009. Shortly before midnight, a man named Franck Hourcade, age 39, was taking part in a game of petanque at the local rugby stadium. As he approached the jack to verify a point, he was accidentally hit in the head by a ball thrown by one of his teammates.

Local firefighters administered first aid without success. He never regained consciousness. He was rushed to the hospital in Lourdes where he died shortly after admission in the early morning hours of Saturday August 9.